In 1968, Michael Zagaris was a young law student and Bobby Kennedy campaign staffer who witnessed the Senator’s assassination. That horrific event set him on a path to personal fulfillment that, after a hashish-fueled conversation with famed rock guitarist Eric Clapton, propelled him into an unforeseen profession: He became one of the great rock n’ roll--and sports--photographers of alltime. In Part 2 of this captivating conversation, the longtime 49ers and A’s photographer talks about touring with the Rolling Stones during their heyday in the early ‘70s, getting caught in the middle of a dark dispute between Led Zeppelin and rock impresario Bill Graham, and tripping so hard after dropping acid with T-Rex frontman Marc Bolan that it caused the cancellation of a show.
Eager to photograph the Rolling Stones in the early ‘70s, Zagaris talks his way onto a tour by impersonating an editor of English Vogue and never looks back. He also recalls getting caught in the crossfire of a violent clash between Led Zeppelin and iconic rock impresario Bill Graham and tells the story of a wild acid trip on San Francisco’s Ocean Beach with T-Rex frontman Marc Bolan, during which they “hear the universe” but tragically miss the band’s scheduled gig. Zagaris also talks about how San Francisco has gotten less weird and the toxicity of the Trump presidency and the extremism it fostered. He closes with a classic story about the origin of “The Object” on the cover of Zeppelin’s album Presence.